Tag: anxiety

Smashing through insecurities and personal ailments in refreshing garage-pop style; Derby-based band Pet Crow have returned with their second album, Take The Edge Off. Self-released in the UK on 7th Feb, it’s an apt title for a collection of songs that provide momentary relief from the everyday stresses of being an adult.

Formed of Danielle Ross, Dan Barradell, Sean Kenny, Conor Wallis, and Sophie Prosay; Pet Crow are facing up to their demons on their sophomore record. Speaking from direct experience; the band explore anxiety, depression, drug addiction, recovery, OCD, and ADHD across the ten tracks on Take The Edge Off.

The first three songs – ‘Limbo’, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘NOCD’ – fly by in a blur of fuzzy guitars, punky percussion, and moody vocals. They’re restless, cathartic laments about not being able to switch off, or switch back on when you most need to. The band channel not having a clear direction in life into well directed sounds on ‘What We Doin’, whilst the riotous ‘One Whole Summer’ is a strung out two and a half minutes about cutting loose, and the repercussions of going wild a little too often.

‘Controlling’ explores a toxic relationship, but the buoyant, surf-rock guitars distract from the darker context of the song. The same can be said for eponymous track ‘Take The Edge Off’, which does exactly that for just shy of two minutes. The band are “flitting between caring, and care free” on ‘Hostage’, and the manic instrumental mid-way through penultimate track ‘Scars’ is equally as freeing.

The joyfully named ‘Prick’ closes the record. It’s an infectious four minute take down of another toxic relationship, and the repeated line “You make me sick” will draw a wry smile across your face as you sing along to the catchy guitar riffs. Pet Crow firmly believe you can dance and sing your way through your problems, and Take The Edge Off will help you to do just the same.

Pre-order your copy of Pet Crow’s Take The Edge Off via Bandcamp
Follow Pet Crow on Facebook for more updates.

An atmospheric, introspective exploration of personal exile; Adia Victoria‘s latest single ‘The Needle’s Eye’ is a slow-burning confrontation between one woman and her anxieties. The track is taken from her forthcoming album Silences, set to be released on 22nd February via Canvasback.

Two years after the release of her debut LP Beyond the Bloodhounds and after an extended period on tour and in the spotlight, Victoria turned her vision inward. She explains: “I found when I went back home that the thing that disturbed me the most was the lack of activity. Having to deal with myself once again on an intimate level.” Reading and literature helped her counteract this feeling of discomfort, and tracks like ‘The Needle’s Eye’ are the result of this honest period of soul-searching.

Speaking about the new single, Victoria explains: “I decided to look my fears head on – fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown. I understood that hitherto that moment, I had been avoiding all the small terrors tugging at my heart. ‘The Needle’s Eye’ is the result of allowing all the exiled parts of myself their due, to dance with warring drums. To allow every part of myself to be seen, felt, and heard.”

If the rest of Silences – which was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner – is as poignant and intriguing as ‘The Needle’s Eye’, then 2019 is set to be a successful year for Adia Victoria. Listen to the new track below and follow her on Facebook for more updates.

‘In Vain’ is the debut single from elusive newcomer Evil Bone, and it’s a blur of hushed lyrics and hazy reverb that’ll ease your anxious mind. The track premiered on Louder Than War earlier this week, and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Evil Bone combines instrumentation and vocals – inspired by modern psych-guitar music, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tame Impala & Anderson Paak – “to marry the colourful sounds and soulful vibes that these styles of music respectfully portray”. But it’s not just about forming these dreamy soundscapes; Evil Bone’s words are of equal importance.

Speaking about ‘In Vain’, Evil Bone explains:“in order for me to convey what i want people to take from this record, my choice of words are of high importance to me. music alone has the ability evoke feeling, but to truly paint the picture i wanted to, i’ve chosen topics that are close to my heart. for this particularly piece, the topic is anxiety, something that i have struggled with for many years, something that has burdened my soul and held me back from being completely who i would like to be.

anxiety disorder can take over your day to day life, by your side at all times. it holds you hostage – you begin to wonder what life is like on the outside. wouldn’t it be great to be free!? …or would it? maybe this is it now.

like a former lover that won’t leave you be, sometimes you get sucked back in before you even realise it. it makes your head spin, but maybe that’s not entirely a bad thing? your own warped view of the world. more often than not, however, it is both mentally and physically crippling, and though you may try to fight it, your efforts to extinguish these feelings are often in vain.”

Evil Bone’s efforts are Elysium to our ears, and ‘In Vain’ is an impressive debut from this sensitive and talented artist. Listen to the track below, and follow Evil Bone on Twitter for more updates.